Donald Trump looks on as Wilbur Ross departs after their meeting at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, U.S., November 20, 2016
REUTERS/Mike Segar

Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross threatened to fire top employees at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration after one of its weather offices in Birmingham publicly contradicted President Donald Trump's claim that Hurricane Dorian could strike Alabama, The New York Times reported.

Three sources familiar with the discussion told the Times that Ross's threat led to the unsigned statement later that day from NOAA disavowing the office's assessment, calling it "inconsistent" with the best forecasts available at the time.

By throwing one of its offices under the bus, NOAA fueled outrage throughout the agency and triggered criticism from the scientific community and the public that it had been politicized to support Trump's false claims.

The president has since relied on his combative instincts to wage a relentless campaign defending the veracity of his forecasting abilities over his own federal weather employees and launched broadsides against the news media.

Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross threatened to fire top employees at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Friday after one of its weather offices in Birmingham publicly contradicted President Donald Trump's claim that Hurricane Dorian could strike Alabama, The New York Times reported.

Three sources familiar with the discussion told the Times that Ross called acting NOAA administrator Neil Jacobs and ordered him to fix the agency's contradiction of Trump or its political staff would be fired. It led to the unsigned statement later that day from NOAA disavowing the office's assessment, calling it "inconsistent" with the best forecasts available at the time.

By throwing one of its offices under the bus, NOAA fueled outrage throughout the agency and triggered criticism from the scientific community and the public that it had been politicized to support Trump's false claims. Dan Sobien, the president of the National Weather Service Employees Organization, later blasted the statement as "utterly disgusting and disingenous" on Twitter.

"The New York Times story is false," a spokesperson for the Commerce Department said in a statement to Insider. "Secretary Ross did not threaten to fire any NOAA staff over forecasting and public statements about Hurricane Dorian."

The quagmire began when Trump tweeted just over a week ago that Alabama could be struck by the storm "much harder than anticipated." Weather forecasters in Birmingham then quickly tweeted to assure residents they weren't in harm's way. "Alabama will NOT see any impacts from #Dorian. We repeat, no impacts from Hurricane #Dorian will be felt across Alabama," the office wrote.

Trump immediately doubled down on his false claims, and days later he displayed a doctored map of Hurricane Dorian's projected path in the Oval Office that had a cone of uncertainty expanded with a black marker to include a small corner of Alabama. The president reportedly used the Sharpie himself to make the change.

President Donald Trump holds a chart as he talks with reporters after receiving a briefing on Hurricane Dorian in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2019, in Washington. Associated Press/Evan Vucci

The president has since relied on his combative instincts to wage a relentless campaign defending the veracity of his forecasting abilities over his own federal weather employees and launched broadsides against the news media. It highlights Trump's seeming inability to admit mistakes, preferring to reach for the boxing gloves instead of conceding and being perceived as weak.

The Washington Post reported on Monday that NOAA's chief scientist is opening an investigation whether the agency's response to Trump's hurricane tweets was a violation of the agency's policies and ethics. He called their response "political" and a "danger to public health and safety."

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